CLAYTON 鈥 The 51黑料 County Council is considering watering down a plan that would empower it to remove the county executive from office.
Council Chair Rita Heard Days, a Democrat from Bel-Nor, said some councilmembers met Tuesday to discuss revisions. A new bill could remove the council鈥檚 ability to fire the county executive, and only allow it to dismiss department heads.
It could also change a provision that allows the council to remove them 鈥渨ith or without cause,鈥 Days said.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure if that鈥檚 all a good idea at this particular point,鈥 said Days, who introduced the original bill at last week鈥檚 meeting. 鈥淪o, we鈥檒l see.鈥
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The original bill would ask voters to approve a change to the county charter giving the seven-member council the power to remove the county executive with five votes.
County Executive Sam Page said the move would drastically change the ability of voters to choose their county executive.
鈥淲hen you change that dynamic, then you remove the normal checks and balances that you would see in a government, whether that鈥檚 local government or state government or federal government,鈥 Page said last week.
Some councilmembers, including Page鈥檚 opponents, were hesitant to take on power that would allow them to undo the will of thousands of voters 鈥 190,000 voted for Page in 2022.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 probably a little bit too much power in the hands of the council,鈥 said Republican Councilman Mark Harder, of Ballwin, one of Page鈥檚 staunchest critics.
Harder said he wanted the council to consider asking voters, instead, for the power to put a recall question on the ballot. The intent, he said, would be to sidestep the current recall process, which requires tens of thousands of signatures. And voters could then decide whether to remove the executive.
But Days still wants the council to have the ability to fire department heads. The county executive appoints department heads 鈥 including the county鈥檚 top attorney and directors of the roads department, the jail, public health and more 鈥 and they report to him, not the council. Councilmembers can request information and help with problems in their districts, but department heads aren鈥檛 beholden to the council.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had such problems with the department heads not coming to us and giving us accurate information,鈥 Days said. 鈥(Removing) the county executive was kind of a tag-on. Really the impetus for this was the disingenuous relationship that we have with the with the department heads.鈥
That idea concerned the county executive, too.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want my department heads to think that if they couldn鈥檛 comply with the request of a council member, that their job was at risk,鈥 Page said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 bad government.鈥
The issue could appear on the April 8 ballot. The last day to submit a ballot proposal is Jan. 28.
Days held the legislation, , at Tuesday evening's council meeting.
51黑料 County Executive Sam Page takes reporters questions at a press conference on Jan. 9, 2025. He discusses a bill that would allow the county council to remove a county executive, as well as the recent decision on the state appointing a county prosecuting attorney. Video courtesy of 51黑料 County via Sam Page's Facebook page, edited by Jenna Jones.
